Integrated circuit design using dynamic voltage scaling

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for integrated circuit design using dynamic voltage scaling may comprise (a) designing an IC to meet a voltage dependent frequency specification, the IC design including feedback circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to a fabricated instance of the IC design, (b) characterizing a fabrication process for corner lots for the IC design at a range of power supply voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry; (c) validating the IC design against the fabrication process if the frequency specification is achievable for essentially all instances of the IC design fabricated, wherein the feedback circuitry in each IC resulting from the IC design is operable to respectively adjust the power supply voltage of each IC resulting from the IC design by reducing the power supply voltage if the IC is from a fast corner lot and increasing power supply voltage if from a slow corner lot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/503,821filed on Oct. 1, 2014, which makes reference to and claims priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/885,976 filed on Oct. 2, 2013,each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

(1) Technical Field

This disclosure relates to electronic circuits, and more particularly tointegrated circuit designs and methods of design.

(2) Background

The translation of integrated circuit designs from circuit diagrams orhardware programming code to working integrated circuits (IC's)implemented in modern transistor technologies remains as much art asengineering. A significant challenge in fabricating IC's is to controlcircuit parameters (such as delay, transistor threshold voltage, andtransistor transconductance parameters) in view of variations in thesemiconductor fabrication process, IC supply voltage, and IC operatingtemperature (often abbreviated as “PVT”, for “Process”, “Voltage”, and“Temperature” parameters).

Process variations during IC manufacture can cause unpredictable andundesired variations of circuit parameters, which can adversely affectcircuit performance. Process variation is the naturally occurringvariation of the attributes of transistors (e.g., length and widthdimensions, film and oxide thickness, doping concentrations, etc.) whenintegrated circuits are fabricated. In addition, the parameters ofindividual transistors vary from wafer-to-wafer (interprocess variation)and die-to-die (intraprocess variation). Process variation becomesparticularly important at smaller process nodes (<65 nm) as thevariation becomes a larger percentage of the full length or width of thedevices and as feature sizes approach fundamental dimensions, such asthe size of atoms and the wavelength of usable light for patterninglithography masks.

All of the above parameters and variables generally exhibit complexrelationships among each other. For example, attaining homogeneoustransistor operating parameters, such as threshold voltage andtransconductance, within an integrated circuit is one of the mostimportant, yet most difficult, objectives for precision analog circuits.As another example, transistor threshold voltage is very critical indetermining propagation speed for high speed, low voltage digitalcircuits.

In other words, circuit parameters tend to be process dependent. Thus,it is useful for a manufacturer to be able to quantify or determineprocess variations applicable to a particular IC design, taking intoaccount a range of supply voltages and operating temperatures, in orderto meet a design specification and maximize IC die yields for thatdesign.

An important aspect of determining PVT parameters for an IC design is todetermine “process corners” before commencing large scale production. Aprocess corner refers to measured and categorized variations of variousparameters used in applying an integrated circuit design to asemiconductor wafer. Process corners represent the extremes of theseparameter variations within which a circuit that has been etched onto awafer must function correctly. A circuit running on devices fabricatedat these process corners may run slower or faster than specified and atlower or higher temperatures and voltages, but the current designstandard is that if the circuit does not function at all at any of theseprocess extremes, the design is considered to have inadequate designmargin (i.e., acceptable ranges of circuit parameters that result infully functional IC's that meet all design specifications at specifiedPVT extremes) and must be redesigned. Indeed, in order to make sure thatan IC design can be successfully fabricated in a selected implementationtechnology, a manufacturer may choose a very conservative design marginthat results in a higher die yields of IC's but with less than optimumperformance levels or power consumption.

In order to verify the robustness of an integrated circuit design,semiconductor manufacturers fabricate “corner lots”, which are groups ofwafers that have had process parameters adjusted to various extremes,and will then test the devices made from these special wafers at varyingincrements of environmental conditions, such as voltage, clockfrequency, and temperature, applied in combination (two or sometimes allthree together) in a process called characterization. The results ofthese tests are analyzed in various known ways to determine the boundarylimits beyond which a device begins to functionally fail or fails tomeet the design specification for one or more particular combinations ofenvironmental conditions.

One naming convention for process corners for field-effect transistor(FET) based IC's is to use two-letter designators, where the firstletter refers to the N-channel MOSFET (NMOS) corner and the secondletter refers to the P-channel (PMOS) corner. In this naming convention,three types of corners exist: “typical”, “fast”, and “slow”. Fast andslow corners exhibit carrier mobilities that are higher and lower thannormal, respectively. There are therefore five possible corners:typical-typical (TT) (not really a corner of an N versus P mobilitygraph, but called a corner, anyway; the “TT” corner is the center“corner” where wafers are normally produced using typical processparameters), fast-fast (FF), slow-slow (SS), fast-slow (FS), andslow-fast (SF). For example, a corner designated as “FS” denotes fastNMOS FETs and slow PMOS FETs.

The first three corners (TT, FF, SS) are called even corners, becauseboth types of devices are affected evenly, and generally do notadversely affect the logical correctness of the circuit. The resultingdevices can function at slower or faster clock frequencies, and areoften grouped or “binned” as such. The last two corners (FS, SF) arecalled “skewed” corners, and are cause for concern. This is because onetype of FET will switch much faster than the other, and this form ofimbalanced switching can cause one edge of the output to have much lessslew than the other edge. Latching devices may then record incorrectvalues in a logic chain. In conventional IC design, design margins mustbe set so that an IC functions properly even within the skewed corners.

In addition to the transistors themselves, there are other on-chipvariation (OCV) effects that manifest themselves at smaller technologynodes. These include PVT variation effects on on-chip interconnects aswell as via structures. In addition, there are wafer-to-wafer andintra-wafer variations within the bulk material of wafers, both ininitial form and post-doping.

Another problem in the translation of IC design to IC die is that inmodern advanced transistor technologies, the power supply voltage ismuch lower compared to older technologies. For example, in 180 nmfabrication technology the recommended power supply voltage is 1.8V,while for 130 nm fabrication technology the recommended voltage is 1.2V,and for 28 nm fabrication technology the recommended voltage is 0.9V. Inorder to allow the implementation of fast transistors in these advancedtechnologies while the overdrive voltage is getting smaller and smallerdue to reduced power supply voltages, the threshold voltage of thetransistors is getting smaller and smaller in order to at least maintainor even increase the speed of the transistors. While decreasing thethreshold voltage of the transistors in advanced technologies ismandatory and has a major speed impact on the technology behavior, it isalso negatively impacts the current leakage performance of thetechnology: a smaller threshold voltage results in faster the devices,but faster devices have higher current leakage.

A number of approaches have been taken to compensate for the problemsengendered by PVT dependent characteristics of advanced IC's. Forexample, one approach to dealing with performance differences caused byunique die-to-die response to an applied power supply voltage (i.e.,where the same power supply voltage is provided to nominally identicalbut differently performing IC dies) is to provide for dynamic voltagescaling on an IC. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a dynamic voltage scalingcircuit 100 in accordance with the prior art. Dynamic voltage scaling(DVS) essentially includes the following:

Measurement of Local Voltage Dependent Die Characteristics:

Each IC is provided with means to measure the speed of theimplementation technology as a function of applied voltage. Such a meansmay be a voltage dependent test circuit 102, such as a ring oscillatorbased on standard cell digital gates (even for an analog IC). As isknown in the art, the frequency (i.e., speed) of such ring oscillatorsis dependent on the applied voltage and the implementationcharacteristics of the individual devices comprising the ring oscillatorstructure. The ring oscillators should be based on the standard cellssizes used in the design (e.g., 7-track, 10-track, 12-track, 14-track,etc.). Each ring oscillator also should be implemented using transistortypes similar to the ones used on the IC in the region of the ringoscillator, such as ultra-high Vt (UHVT), high Vt (HVT), standard Vt(SVT), low Vt (LVT), and ultra-low Vt (ULVT) transistors.

Comparison of the Measured Characteristics to a Standard:

The output of the speed measuring means is compared to a referencevalue. For example, the output of the ring oscillators comprising thevoltage dependent test circuit 102 may be compared against the output ofa reference frequency source 104 (e.g., a crystal oscillator), using,for example, a comparator 106 comprising a delay-locked loop (DLL) tocompare the reference frequency and the measured frequencies. The DLLoutput is a signal (generally a digital signal) that reflects thedifference in frequency between the voltage dependent test circuit 102and the reference frequency source 104.

Feedback Control of the Power Supply Voltage:

The output of the comparison of the reference frequency and the measuredfrequency from the comparator 106 is applied to a means for controllingan external power supply to the IC, such as a variable voltage regulator108, adjusting the applied power supply higher or lower depending on theresult of the frequency comparison. For example, the output of thecomparison may be a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal. The PWM dutycycle can be used in known fashion to increase or decrease the powersupply voltage in order to match the speed of the ring oscillators tothe reference frequency. If the ring oscillators are operating too slow,the applied power supply voltage is increased; conversely, if the ringoscillators are operating too fast, the applied power supply voltage isdecreased. A typical adjustment range for a power supply using thisapproach is about ±10% (e.g., for a normalized voltage value of 1.0, therange is from about 0.9 to 1.1).

An IC design normally would have multiple DVS cells 110 distributedjudicially across the IC die such that the voltage dependent testcircuits 102 (e.g., ring oscillators) rather thoroughly reflect thetransistor speed variations that occur across the dimensions of the die.When using multiple DVS cells 110, some economies of scale will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, such as having only onereference frequency source 104 coupled to all DVS cells 110, and timesharing (multiplexing) a single comparator 104 with all DVS cells 110.

Despite such attempts to mitigate the effects of PVT dependentcharacteristics on the fabrication of advanced IC's, IC designers andmanufacturers have still been conservative in their approach to settingmargins for IC designs. While a conservative approach seemingly improvesdie yields, the result generally is larger dies, more power usage (andthus more heat), and slower circuits on average.

Accordingly, there is a need for an IC design approach that mitigatesthe effects of PVT dependent characteristics on the fabrication ofadvanced IC's but provides high die yields, lower power usage, andfaster circuits in comparison to the prior art. The present disclosureaddresses this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The presently disclosed method and apparatus encompasses a method ofdesigning an integrated circuit (IC) that mitigates the effects ofprocess, voltage, and temperature (PVT) dependent characteristics on thefabrication of advanced IC's but provides high die yields, lower powerusage, and faster circuits in comparison to the prior art.

The presently disclosed method and apparatus is based on a realizationthat the conventional design process still takes into account powersupply voltage Vdd as a variable that must be considered in a skewedcorner analysis. But a reconsideration of conventional design approacheshas led to a realization that the IC design process can be substantiallysimplified by essentially factoring out voltage based variations incorner lot analysis for IC designs that include dynamic voltage scaling(DVS) circuitry. This is so because each fabricated IC die of an ICdesign having DVS can individually adjust the applied supply voltage Vddwithin a range to offset local process-induced variations in theperformance of that specific IC die.

By taking advantage of such DVS capability—denoted below as DVS' toreflect the usage of conventional DVS in conjunction with the improvedcharacterization process of the presently disclosed method andapparatus—the corner analysis for an IC design can be significantlyrelaxed.

An important aspect of the presently disclosed method and apparatus isthat an IC design has acceptable margins if the DVS' on-chip voltageadjustment range is sufficient to essentially fully offset (within anacceptable tolerance range) the out-of-specification voltage dependentfrequency values of a process characterization of the IC design (e.g.,through corner lot analysis). Accordingly, by boosting Vdd by usingon-chip DVS' in an IC that would otherwise fall into a slow corner, thesurprising result is that an IC design that would be unacceptable underconventional rules of design has perfectly valid design margins for theslow corners of a particular fabrication process.

In addition, a significant benefit of relaxing the design constraints byusing DVS' for after-manufacture adjustments of Vdd is that IC die thatfall in the fast corners can be operated at lower Vdd values while stillapproximately attaining a desired Fmax. An additional benefit ofapplying the presently disclosed method and apparatus is that it canpotentially allow for digital IC designs to meet timing constraints muchtighter (i.e., higher speed) than under a traditional approach becausethe average transistor speed is virtually increased due to power supplyvoltage adjustment using DVS′.

Knowing that the power supply voltage of an IC design with DVS' will beadjusted to guarantee in average transistors speed that covers the needsof the IC design, the design of both analog and digital IC's (orsections in an IC) can take this into account when implementing lowlevel circuit blocks.

The disclosed method and apparatus includes the following aspects, whichmay be used to fabricate an IC: (1) designing the IC to meet a voltagedependent frequency specification, the IC design including feedbackcircuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to a fabricatedinstance of the IC design; (2) characterizing a fabrication process forthe IC design at a range of power supply voltage levels achievable bythe feedback circuitry; (3) validating the IC design against thefabrication process if the frequency specification is achievable foressentially all instances of the IC design fabricated in accordance withthe fabrication process by adjustment of the power supply voltage levelsapplied to such instances of the IC design within the range of the powersupply voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry; (4)fabricating instances of the IC design using the characterizedfabrication process; and (5) adjusting the power supply voltage of eachinstance of the IC design using the feedback circuitry so as to causeeach such instance of the IC design to meet the frequency specification.

The details of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the descriptionand drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a dynamic voltage scaling circuit inaccordance with the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a table showing the maximum normalized frequency Fmax at whichan example IC design will operate at different normalized power supplylevels Vdd with respect to different skewed corner types andtemperatures.

FIG. 3 is a table showing the maximum normalized frequency Fmax at whichan example IC design will operate at different normalized power supplylevels Vdd with respect to different skewed corner types andtemperatures, with certain emphasized values in bold type.

FIG. 4 is a table comparing cell area data for a digital IC designimplemented using both conventional techniques and the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a table comparing power consumption data for an analog ICdesign implemented using both conventional techniques and the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a table comparing WNS, cell area, cell count, and percentageof ultra-low voltage threshold transistors for an IC design implementedusing both conventional techniques and the presently disclosed methodand apparatus at different standard library cell track sizes.

FIG. 7 is a chart comparing cell area for an IC design implemented usingboth conventional techniques and the presently disclosed method andapparatus at different standard library cell track sizes.

FIG. 8 is a table comparing WNS, cell area, cell count, and percentageof ultra-low voltage threshold transistors for an IC design implementedusing both conventional techniques and the presently disclosed methodand apparatus at the same standard library cell track size.

FIG. 9 is a chart comparing cell area for an IC design implemented usingboth conventional techniques and the presently disclosed method andapparatus at the same standard library cell track size.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the method of the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently disclosed method and apparatus encompasses a method ofdesigning an integrated circuit (IC) that mitigates the effects ofprocess, voltage, and temperature (PVT) dependent characteristics on thefabrication of advanced IC's but provides high die yields, lower powerusage, and faster circuits in comparison to the prior art.

As noted above, in conventional IC design, if every part of a circuitdoes not function at any of the characterization corners of a process,the design is considered to have inadequate design margin and must beredesigned. Accordingly, conventionally, design margins areconservatively set so that an IC functions properly even within theskewed corners.

For example, FIG. 2 is a table showing the maximum normalized frequencyFmax at which an example IC design will operate at different normalizedpower supply levels Vdd with respect to different skewed corner typesand temperatures (that is, Fmax is the maximum operational frequency fora particular instance of an IC design embodied on a die). Underconventional design approaches, this IC design would not be acceptable,because the frequency performance in the two slow corners is far below(approximately half) the nominal level of 1.00. Accordingly, this ICwould have to be redesigned so that Fmax in the slow corners, at alltemperatures, was approximately 1.00 in order to meet the designspecification (plus or minus some acceptable margin, such as 10%).

However, the presently disclosed method and apparatus is based on arealization that the conventional design process still takes intoaccount power supply voltage Vdd as a variable that must be consideredin a skewed corner analysis. But a reconsideration of conventionaldesign approaches has led to a realization that the IC design processcan be substantially simplified by essentially factoring out voltagebased variations in corner lot analysis for IC designs that includedynamic voltage scaling (DVS) circuitry. This is so because eachfabricated IC die of an IC design having DVS can individually adjust theapplied supply voltage Vdd within a range (e.g., ±10%) to offset localprocess-induced variations in the performance of that specific IC die.

By taking advantage of such DVS capability—denoted hereafter as DVS' toreflect the usage of conventional DVS in conjunction with the improvedcharacterization process of the presently disclosed method andapparatus—the corner analysis for an IC design can be significantlyrelaxed. For example, reconsidering the example IC design characterizedin FIG. 2 with the power supply voltage Vdd factor essentially ignoredleads to the conclusion that the design margins are in fact acceptable.To illustrate this, FIG. 3, which is otherwise identical to FIG. 2,shows certain values in bold type. Looking at these values for theexample IC design, the desired performance is an Fmax of approximately1.00 (±10% may be acceptable) for a Vdd of 1.00 at 27° C. (again, Fmaxand Vdd values are normalized and thus have no dimensions per se). Usingthe process corresponding to the corner lots being analyzed, some ICdies would run unacceptably slow at low values of Vdd. In this example,at Vdd=0.90, Fmax is 0.55 at 27° C. and 0.48 at 40° C. for the two slowcorners. However, the Vdd value can be dynamically adjusted for suchslow corner dies after manufacture by using DVS′. In this example, byboosting Vdd from 0.90 to 1.10 for dies that fall into the slow corners,Fmax is 0.98 at 27° C. and 0.93 at 40° C., both within 10% of thedesired Fmax of 1.00. Thus, the transistors double in speed and behavelike nominal devices running at Vdd=1.00 at 27° C.

An important aspect of the presently disclosed method and apparatus isthat an IC design has acceptable margins if the DVS' on-chip voltageadjustment range is sufficient to essentially fully offset (within anacceptable tolerance range) the out-of-specification voltage dependentfrequency values of a process characterization of the IC design (e.g.,through corner lot analysis).

Accordingly, by boosting Vdd by using on-chip DVS' in an IC that wouldotherwise fall into a slow corner, the surprising result is that an ICdesign that would be unacceptable under conventional rules of design hasperfectly valid design margins for the slow corners of a particularfabrication process. In addition, a significant benefit of relaxing thedesign constraints by using DVS' for after-manufacture adjustments ofVdd is that IC die that fall in the fast corners can be operated atlower Vdd values while still approximately attaining the desired Fmax.In the example shown in FIG. 3, at Vdd=0.90, Fmax is 1.07 at 27° C. and1.16 at 40° C. for the two fast corners, thus still slightly exceedingthe Fmax specification of 1.0 while operating at a lower Vdd.Accordingly, reducing Vdd for these cases results in lower powerconsumption while still meeting the Fmax specification. Post-manufacturetesting of the IC dies will allow binning of in-specification, low-powerversions of the IC circuit, a commercially desirable result since suchparts may be targeted for applications where low power is especiallyuseful, such as portable electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones andtablet computers).

An additional benefit of applying the presently disclosed method andapparatus is that it can potentially allow for digital IC designs tomeet timing constraints much tighter (i.e., higher speed) than under atraditional approach because the average transistor speed is virtuallyincreased due to power supply voltage adjustment using DVS′.

Knowing that the power supply voltage of an IC design with DVS' will beadjusted to guarantee in average transistors speed that covers the needsof the IC design, the design of both analog and digital sections in anIC can take this into account when implementing low level circuitblocks. For example, it has been discovered that the presently disclosedmethod and apparatus allows both the number of buffers used withindigital circuit blocks to be reduced and the drive strength of suchbuffers to be reduced, resulting in a smaller die and lower powerconsumption for IC designs utilizing such circuit blocks (alternatively,when using standard cell libraries, smaller cells can be used in such ICdesigns). This result arises from the fact that IC designs made inaccordance with the presently disclosed method and apparatus do not haveto have large margins built in to a particular design in order toovercome poor slow corner performance, as in the prior art. Largemargins generally mean “over engineering” a circuit by using more and/orlarger internal buffers or multiple core transistors to insure adequatedrive levels and speed. Instead, in accordance with the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus, the use of DVS' drives the transistorcells of each digital IC die to the minimum drive strength necessary toachieve the target frequency.

The benefits of the presently disclosed method and apparatus apply toanalog circuitry as well. As with digital designs, analog IC designsmade in accordance with the presently disclosed method and apparatuswill have lower current consumption due the extra headroom in theirdesigns as a consequence of increasing the power supply voltage Vdd inslow corners. In addition, the ability to dynamically increase the powersupply voltage Vdd in worst-case corners allows a designer to reducetransistor sizes (i.e., the transistor width/length ratio will besmaller) and hence parasitic capacitances in the design, thus allowingfor higher frequency of operation.

Actual circuits designed in accordance with the presently disclosedmethod and apparatus have shown improvements in margins by a factor ofthree in comparison to implementing such circuits using the prior artdesign approach. Further, the reduction in the number of transistorsthat results when utilizing the presently disclosed method and apparatusfor an IC design often allows the design to be implemented in a smallertrack size; in one case, a 40% decrease in die area was achieved becausean IC design could be moved from a 12-track to a 10-track implementationtechnology (a circuitry cell in a standard cell library is laid outrelative to a grid defined by horizontal and vertical tracks, and a celllibrary is generally classified by its track height; for example, a10-track library is composed of cells having heights of 10 tracks or aninteger multiple thereof, and thus a 10-track library has smaller cellsizes than a 12-track library).

It should be noted that certain subcircuits of an IC design may need tobe designed to meet target specifications in all corner lots withoutDVS' voltage adjustments; such subcircuits may include, for example lowfrequency analog-to-digital converters and bandgap voltage referencecircuits. For such subcircuits, conservative design margins can be used.However, typically such subcircuits comprise only a small fraction ofthe circuitry in an IC design (often less than 1% to 2%), and hence donot detract significantly from applying the presently disclosed methodand apparatus to the remaining circuitry.

EXAMPLES

The many advantages of the presently disclosed method and apparatus arebetter appreciated by considering specific examples of its application.

FIG. 4 is a table comparing cell area data for a digital IC designimplemented using both conventional techniques and the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus, in this case an ARM Processor CortexA9MPrunning at 1 GHz. When the same IC design is implemented using the DVS'approach, the design margins are relaxed sufficiently that the cell areais 18.5% less than when implemented using conventional design rules.

FIG. 5 is a table comparing power consumption data for an analog ICdesign implemented using both conventional techniques and the presentlydisclosed method and apparatus, in this case a Multimedia over CoaxAlliance (MoCA) Transceiver. Comparing various ON and OFF states fortransmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) conditions for the IC design, with DVS'and without DVS' (i.e., a conventional implementation) for differentMoCA modes (as defined in the MoCA specification), there is an averageof a 15% power improvement with DVS' compared to a conventional design.

FIG. 6 is a table comparing WNS (worst negative slack; negative slackimplies that a path is too slow, and the path must be sped up or areference signal delayed if the whole circuit is to work at the desiredspeed), cell area, cell count, and percentage of ultra-low voltagethreshold transistors for an IC design implemented using bothconventional techniques and the presently disclosed method and apparatusat different standard library cell track sizes. In this case, involvingmodules of a video transcoding application, the better design margins ofthe DVS' design approach allow use of a smaller 10-track standard celllibrary compared to the 12-track library used in the conventionaldesign, resulting in significantly smaller cell areas as well as lowercell counts in every case. Lower cell counts alone will result in lowerpower consumption. In addition, the DVS' design approach avoids havingto use any ultra-low voltage threshold (ULVt) transistors (which arehigh speed, high leakage devices) to achieve the performancespecification, which will result in a significant decrease in powerconsumption with the DVS' IC design.

FIG. 7 is a chart comparing cell area for an IC design implemented usingboth conventional techniques and the presently disclosed method andapparatus at different standard library cell track sizes; the data isfrom FIG. 6 and graphically shows the significant decrease in cell areaachieved by use of the presently disclosed method and apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a table comparing WNS, cell area, cell count, and percentageof ULVt transistors for an IC design implemented using both conventionaltechniques and the presently disclosed method and apparatus at the samestandard library cell track size. In this case, also involving modulesof a video transcoding application, the better design margins of theDVS' design approach result in a significant decrease in cell area andcell count even while using the same 10-track standard cell library incomparison to a conventional design. In addition, the DVS' designapproach avoids having to use any ULVt transistors to achieve theperformance specification, which will result in a significant decreasein power consumption by the DVS' IC design.

FIG. 9 is a chart comparing cell area for an IC design implemented usingboth conventional techniques and the presently disclosed method andapparatus at the same standard library cell track size; the data is fromFIG. 8 and graphically shows the significant decrease in cell areaachieved by use of the presently disclosed method and apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the presently disclosedmethod and apparatus, and includes:

-   -   Initial Design (1000)—designing an IC to meet a voltage        dependent frequency specification, the IC design including        feedback circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to a        fabricated instance of the IC design;    -   Characterization (1002)—characterizing a fabrication process for        the IC design at a range of power supply voltage levels        achievable by the feedback circuitry;    -   Validation (1004)—validating the IC design against the        fabrication process if the frequency specification is achievable        for essentially all instances of the IC design fabricated in        accordance with the fabrication process by adjustment of the        power supply voltage levels applied to such instances of the IC        design within the range of the power supply voltage levels        achievable by the feedback circuitry;    -   Fabrication (1006)—fabricating instances of the IC design using        the characterized fabrication process; and    -   Adjustment (1008)—adjusting the power supply voltage of each        instance of the IC design using the feedback circuitry so as to        cause each such instance of the IC design to meet the frequency        specification.

Another embodiment of the presently disclosed method and apparatusincludes:

-   -   Initial Design—designing an IC to meet a voltage dependent        frequency specification, the IC design including feedback        circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to a fabricated        instance of the IC design;    -   Characterization: characterizing a fabrication process by means        of corner lots for the IC design at a range of power supply        voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry;    -   Validation—validating the IC against the fabrication process if        the frequency specification is achievable in all corners of the        corner lots for essentially all instances of the IC design        fabricated in accordance with the fabrication process by        adjustment of the power supply voltage levels applied to such        instances of the IC design within the range of the power supply        voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry;    -   Fabrication—fabricating instances of the IC design using the        characterized fabrication process; and    -   Adjustment—adjusting the power supply voltage of each instance        of the IC design using the feedback circuitry so as to cause        each such instance of the IC design to meet the frequency        specification.

The feedback circuitry may include:

-   -   means for measurement of local voltage dependent die        characteristics;    -   means for comparison of the measured characteristics to a        standard; and    -   means responsive to the comparison for feedback control of the        power supply voltage for an instance of the IC design.

Alternatively, the feedback circuitry may include:

-   -   at least one ring oscillator distributed on an instance of the        IC design for measurement of local voltage dependent        characteristics, each such ring oscillator outputting a        corresponding voltage dependent frequency signal;    -   a comparator for comparison of at least one voltage dependent        frequency signal to a selected reference frequency and for        outputting a signal that reflects the difference in frequency        between at least one ring oscillator and the selected reference        frequency; and    -   a closed-loop feedback control circuit for adjusting the power        supply voltage to an instance of the IC design as a function of        the comparator output signal.

Another aspect includes integrated circuit products that includefeedback circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to theintegrated circuit products and which are manufactured by the inventiveprocess.

A number of embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus have beendescribed. It is to be understood that various modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Inparticular, the invention encompasses numerous other embodiments of thedisclosed method and apparatus having equivalent structure and/orfunction. For example, some of the steps described above may be orderindependent, and thus can be performed in an order different from thatdescribed. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoingdescription is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the claims presented and the equivalentsthereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for designing an integrated circuit(“IC”), comprising: (a) designing the IC to meet a voltage dependentfrequency specification, the IC design including feedback circuitry forcontrolling a power supply voltage to a fabricated instance of the ICdesign; (b) characterizing a fabrication process for corner lots for theIC design at a range of power supply voltage levels achievable by thefeedback circuitry; and (c) validating the IC design against thefabrication process if the frequency specification is achievable foressentially all instances of the IC design fabricated in accordance withthe fabrication process by adjustment of the power supply voltage levelsapplied to such instances of the IC design within the range of the powersupply voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry, andrepeating (b) when essentially all fabricated instances of the IC designdo not meet the frequency specification, wherein the feedback circuitryin each IC resulting from the IC design is operable to respectivelyadjust the power supply voltage of each IC resulting from the IC designby reducing the power supply voltage if the IC is from a fast corner lotand increasing power supply voltage if the IC is from a slow corner lot.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises: (a)at least one ring oscillator distributed on each IC resulting from theIC design for measurement of local voltage dependent characteristics,each such ring oscillator outputting a corresponding voltage dependentfrequency signal; (b) a comparator for comparison of at least onevoltage dependent frequency signal to a selected reference frequency andfor outputting a signal that reflects the difference in frequencybetween at least one ring oscillator and the selected referencefrequency; and (c) a closed-loop feedback control circuit for adjustingthe power supply voltage to an IC of the IC design as a function of thecomparator output signal.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedbackcircuitry comprises: (a) means for measuring local voltage dependent diecharacteristics; (b) means for comparing the measured characteristics toa standard; and (c) means for responding to the comparison for feedbackcontrol of the power supply voltage for an IC resulting from the ICdesign.
 4. A method for designing an integrated circuit (“IC”),comprising: (a) designing the IC to meet a voltage dependent frequencyspecification, the IC design including feedback circuitry forcontrolling a power supply voltage to a fabricated instance of the ICdesign; (b) characterizing a fabrication process by means of corner lotsfor the IC design at a range of power supply voltage levels achievableby the feedback circuitry; and (c) validating the IC against thefabrication process if the frequency specification is achievable in allcorners of the corner lots for essentially all ICs resulting from the ICdesign fabricated in accordance with the fabrication process byadjustment of the power supply voltage levels applied to such ICsresulting from the IC design within the range of the power supplyvoltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry, and repeating (b)when essentially all fabricated instances of the IC design do not meetthe frequency specification, wherein feedback circuitry in each ICresulting from the IC design is operable to respectively adjust thepower supply voltage of each IC resulting from the IC design by reducingthe power supply voltage if the IC is from a fast corner lot andincreasing power supply voltage if the IC is from a slow corner lot. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises: (a) atleast one ring oscillator distributed on an IC resulting from the ICdesign for measurement of local voltage dependent characteristics, eachsuch ring oscillator outputting a corresponding voltage dependentfrequency signal; (b) a comparator for comparison of at least onevoltage dependent frequency signal to a selected reference frequency andfor outputting a signal that reflects the difference in frequencybetween at least one ring oscillator and the selected referencefrequency; and (c) a closed-loop feedback control circuit for adjustingthe power supply voltage to the IC resulting from the IC design as afunction of the comparator output signal.
 6. The method of claim 4wherein the feedback circuitry comprises: (a) means for measuring localvoltage dependent die characteristics; (b) means for comparing themeasured characteristics to a standard; and (c) means for responding tothe comparison for feedback control of the power supply voltage for anIC resulting from the IC design.
 7. An integrated circuit (“IC”)prepared by a process comprising: (a) designing the IC to meet a voltagedependent frequency specification, the IC design including feedbackcircuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to an IC resulting fromthe IC design; (b) characterizing a fabrication process for the ICdesign at a range of power supply voltage levels achievable by thefeedback circuitry; (c) validating the IC design against the fabricationprocess if the frequency specification is achievable for essentially allICs resulting from the IC design fabricated in accordance with thefabrication process by adjustment of the power supply voltage levelsapplied to such ICs resulting from the IC design within the range of thepower supply voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry, andrepeating (b) when essentially all fabricated instances of the IC designdo not meet the frequency specification, wherein feedback circuitry isoperable to adjust the power supply voltage of the IC by increasing thepower supply voltage if the IC is from a slow corner lot and decreasingthe power supply voltage if the IC is from a fast corner lot.
 8. Theintegrated circuit (“IC”) of claim 7, wherein the feedback circuitrycomprises: (a) at least one ring oscillator distributed on the IC formeasurement of local voltage dependent characteristics, each such ringoscillator outputting a corresponding voltage dependent frequencysignal; (b) a comparator for comparison of at least one voltagedependent frequency signal to a selected reference frequency and foroutputting a signal that reflects the difference in frequency between atleast one ring oscillator and the selected reference frequency; and (c)a closed-loop feedback control circuit for adjusting the power supplyvoltage to the IC as a function of the comparator output signal.
 9. Theintegrated circuit (“IC”) of claim 7, wherein the feedback circuitrycomprises: (a) means for measuring local voltage dependent diecharacteristics; (b) means for comparing the measured characteristics toa standard; and (c) means for responding to the comparison for feedbackcontrol of the power supply voltage for the IC.
 10. An integratedcircuit (“IC”) prepared by a process comprising: (a) designing the IC tomeet a voltage dependent frequency specification, the IC designincluding feedback circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage toan IC resulting from the IC design; (b) characterizing a fabricationprocess by means of corner lots for the IC design at a range of powersupply voltage levels achievable by the feedback circuitry; and (c)validating the IC against the fabrication process if the frequencyspecification is achievable in all corners of the corner lots foressentially all ICs resulting from the IC design fabricated inaccordance with the fabrication process by adjustment of the powersupply voltage levels applied to such ICs resulting from the IC designwithin the range of the power supply voltage levels achievable by thefeedback circuitry, and repeating (b) when essentially all fabricatedinstances of the IC design do not meet the frequency specification,wherein the feedback circuitry is operable to adjust the power supplyvoltage of the IC using the feedback circuitry by reducing the powersupply voltage if the IC is from a fast corner lot and increasing powersupply voltage if the IC is from a slow corner lot.
 11. The integratedcircuit (“IC”) of claim 10, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises:(a) at least one ring oscillator distributed on the IC for measurementof local voltage dependent characteristics, each such ring oscillatoroutputting a corresponding voltage dependent frequency signal; (b) acomparator for comparison of at least one voltage dependent frequencysignal to a selected reference frequency and for outputting a signalthat reflects the difference in frequency between at least one ringoscillator and the selected reference frequency; and (c) a closed-loopfeedback control circuit for adjusting the power supply voltage to theIC as a function of the comparator output signal.
 12. The integratedcircuit (“IC”) of claim 10, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises:(a) means for measuring local voltage dependent die characteristics; (b)means for comparing the measured characteristics to a standard; and (c)means for responding to the comparison for feedback control of the powersupply voltage for the IC.
 13. An integrated circuit (“IC”) includingfeedback circuitry for controlling a power supply voltage to the IC tomeet a voltage dependent frequency specification, wherein the adjustmentof the power supply voltage is determined by (1) characterization of afabrication process for the IC at a range of power supply voltage levelsachievable by the feedback circuitry, and (2) validation of the designof the IC against the fabrication process if the voltage dependentfrequency specification is achievable for essentially all instances ofthe IC fabricated in accordance with the fabrication process andrepeating (1) when essentially all fabricated instances of the IC designdo not meet the voltage dependent frequency specification, wherein thefeedback circuitry is operable to adjust power supply voltage levels ineach instance of the IC within the range of the power supply voltagelevels achievable by the feedback circuitry by reducing the power supplyvoltage if the IC is from a fast corner lot and increase the powersupply voltage if the IC is from a slow corner lot.
 14. The integratedcircuit (“IC”) of claim 13, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises:(a) at least one ring oscillator distributed on the IC for measurementof local voltage dependent characteristics, each such ring oscillatoroutputting a corresponding voltage dependent frequency signal; (b) acomparator for comparison of at least one voltage dependent frequencysignal to a selected reference frequency and for outputting a signalthat reflects the difference in frequency between at least one ringoscillator and the selected reference frequency; and (c) a closed-loopfeedback control circuit for adjusting the power supply voltage to theIC as a function of the comparator output signal.
 15. The integratedcircuit (“IC”) of claim 13, wherein the feedback circuitry comprises:(a) means for measuring local voltage dependent die characteristics; (b)means for comparing the measured characteristics to a standard; and (c)means for responding to the comparison for feedback control of the powersupply voltage for the IC.